Opinions & Interviews

“Equal economic conditions for the member states of the EEU and a barrier-free environment have not been created yet. Besides, after the signing of the EEU Treaty the internal trade turnover has been falling. In 2012 and 2013, it made up $65 billion; in 2015, it was just $45 billion. Perhaps, not all provisions of the treaty meet the current situation in the economy and our expectations,” the Belarusian head of state said.

“It is essential to eliminate internal exemptions and restrictions in mutual trade. No matter how our union is being developed (initially there was the Customs Union, then the Single Economic Space, and, finally, the Eurasian Economic Union), the number of these exemptions and restrictions has not changed. There are about 600 exemptions and restrictions,” the President of Belarus said.

The initiative to work out a mechanism of the EEU’s operation in terms when a member state applies unilateral measures of protecting the market in relation to third countries has not been implemented.

Alexander Lukashenko reminded that the participants of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council meeting which took place in September 2015 adopted the main guidelines of industrial cooperation. The sides approved of the parameters of concerted measures to support national manufacturers, outlined the milestones of interaction in bolstering manufacturing export. “Now it is needed to step up efforts to fulfill the tasks that we have set,” the Belarusian President emphasized.

Apart from that, the EEU has done the first steps to promote integration in the energy sector. A concept of formation of the common electric energy market has been developed and approved. At the current session in Astana the sides also discussed plans regarding gas, oil and oil products. “However, the way from conceiving the concept to reaching the goal can be very long sometimes. And we are the reason for it. Therefore, the Eurasian Economic Commission needs to step up efforts in this field and take comprehensive measures to implement these projects,” the President of Belarus believes.

The Belarusian leader also said that the plans to create a common market of medications and medical substances have been discussed for a long time. “However, we have not made much progress here yet,” he added.